Device for securing car-doors.



I. J. GILROY.

DEVICE FOR 3301mm GAR DOORS.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 31 190B.

924, 1 60. Patented June 8, 1909.

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F. J. GILROY.

DEVICE FOR SECURING GAR nouns.

Patented June s, 1909.

APPLICATION FILED DEO.31,1908.

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FRANK .l. GILROY, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK.

DEVICE FOR SECURING CAB-DOORS.

ToaZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK J. GILROY, citizen of the United States,residing at Buffalo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Devices for Securing GanDoors, of which the following is a specification, reference being hadtherein to the accompanying drawing.

'The object of this invention is to provide for securing car doors ofcars provided with air brakes by devices which can be unlocked only whenthe full braking power is applied through the brake cylinders, wherebyit 'becomes practically impossible to unlock the devices while the caris in transit between stations or is detached from the engine atstations or elsewhere.

For the purposes of illustration I have shown the invention embodied indevices adapted for cars having hinged doors, but the broad features ofthe invention may be used in connection with sliding doors.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 r is a side elevation of aportion of a car having a door opening closed by two hinged doors, oneof which, as usual, when locked prevents the opening of the other. Fig.2 is a section on the line 22, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 shows the locking devicesproper seen from the inside of the car, the lock case being in section.Figs. 4, 5 are views of a catch carried by one of the doors. Fig. 6 is asection, on the line ('36, Fig. 1, showing certain hand-operated valvedevices.

In these figures, A represents the body of a car having hinged doors A,A and provided with the usual reservoir B and brake cylinder B of airbrake apparatus. The door A when closed prevents the opening of the doorA and upon its inner face near the upper portion of its free margin isrigidly secured an inwardly projecting catch C having-upon one side aninclined face C to push aside a certain spring latch. Just above theplace occupied by this catch when the door is closed is a casing Dbolted to the inner wall of the car and provided with a latch D whichnormally projects downward into the path followed by the catch when thedoor is being closed. As seen clearly in Fig. 3 this catch is pivoted atD between its ends and is normally held in vertical position and againstthe end wall of the casing by a helical spring D which presses a bar D"against the latch but which yields to the Specification of LettersPatent.

Application filed December 31, 1908.

Patented June 8 1909.

Serial (N0. 470,209.

pressure of the beveled end of the incoming catch upon the latch and aninstant later throws the latch into thereeess C ("Figs. at,

of the catch, locking the doors. The locking is thus automatic, butbydevices wholly within the car and not-t0 be reached even byinserting'anything in the joint at the doors margin when ordinaryconstruction is followed. against or lies in the+path of a plunger 1)working inan-air cylinder 1), in the casin to which compressed air maybeadmitted by a small pipe E. \Vhen air is=thus admitted under sufficientpressure to-overcome the resistance of the spring 19 the plungeranovesoutward, forcing the latch'to swing upon its pivot and release thecatch, allowing the doors to open. The spring is usually made strongenough to resist pressure less than the full braking pressure in thebrake cylinder. From the casing the pipe passes along the inside of thecar to a point preferably at the side'o-f the door opening-and somewhatabove the middle, vertically, of'the car, and thence throughthe car wall(Fig. 2) into a valve chamber F secured to the outside ofthe car bydevices not detachableby persons without the car. From the lower part ofthis chamber a pipe E passes inward through the car wall, downward alongthe same, and thence to a point preferably immediately above the brakecylinder whence it turns and enters the latter.

The chamber F contains a valve F pro vided with a stem F 2 the upperportion of which slides in a bearing in a screw plug F projecting inwardthrough the upper wall of the chamber, while the lower portion of thestem passes through the lower wall, projecting to some distance andbeing provided with a perforation F through which a common sealing wireF may be passed to prevent opening the valve without making it evidentthat it has been tampered with.

Between its ends the stem carries a valve F which is normally heldclosed by a spring F strong enough to resist the force of air at full oremergency braking pressure, tending to open the closed valve, which isso placed as to cut off communication between the two pipes. If now theengineer by means of the engineers valve applies full braking powerthrough the brake cylinder, thus of course setting the brakes, removalof the seal and pushing the valve F upward allows air to pass from thebraking cylinder to the The opposite end of the latch rests.

latch casing and causes the latch to disengage the catch, unlocking thedoors. If this pressure in the brake-cylinder is lowered while the doorsare still closed, the car is immediately locked again.

Should the desired pressure in the brake cylinder be secured by cuttingthe pipe between the cars, the brakes would be instantly set, givingnotice to all persons on the train that something unusual had occurred.If a car be detached from the engine without first opening its doors, itcannot be opened at all until re-connected with an engine or with airpressure devices of like capacity.

It is plain that without the connivance of the engineer it ispractically impossible to open a car at any time, either betweenstations or otherwise, and that this result is secured through the airdevices with which all trains are usually provided.

What I claim is:

1. The combination with a car provided with ordinary air brake mechanismand with a door, of door locking devices adapted to be unlocked by airpressure, means for putting said devices in communication with theinterior of the brake cylinder and means for preventing unlocking by airpressure less than that secured by emergency application of brakingpressure.

2. The combination with a car provided with a door and with air brakemechanism, of door securing devices operable by air pressure, means fordelivering to said devices air from the brake cylinder, and manuallyactuated means for controlling such delivery.

3. The combination with a car provided with a door and ordinary airbrake mechanism, of door securing devices adapted to be unlocked bycompressed air, means for preventing such unlocking by air below apredetermined pressure, means for supplying to said devices unlockingair from the air brake cylinder, and manually actuated devices forcontrolling said means.

4. The combination with a car provided with a door and with air brakemechanism, of door securing devices within the car and adapted to bereleased by compressed air, a normally closed conduit leadlng from thebrake cylinder to said devices, means for preventing unlocking by airbelow full brake pressure, and means for at will opening said conduit.

5. The combination with a car provided with a door and with air brakemechanism, of door securing devices adapted to be unlocked by compressedair, means for preventing unlocking by air below a fixed pressure, apipe leading from the brake cylinder to said devices, a valvecontrolling said pipe, and a seal preventing, while intact, the openingof said valve.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FRANK J. GILROY. lVit-nesses:

J. F. DESMOND, O. S. GANNIFF.

